Epic ‘apply’d’: Women and the Epic Genre in the Eighteenth Century

The role of eighteenth-century women writers in the history of the reception of the epic genre has often been missed. Focusing on Mary Leapor’s poetry, Anthony’s lecture will look at the overlooked connection between women writers and the epic genre by exploring the mock-heroic, which he argues was used by women writers to create their own literary worlds of history and experience.

The Past is Present: Indigenous Protest Narratives and the Reclamation of Environmental History

Narratives of the future dominate climate fiction, which has proliferated greatly alongside growing awareness of the threat of climate change. Kirby’s lecture will focus on Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman (2020) and Tommy Orange’s There There (2018) to spotlight the legacy of historical Indigenous protests that centred around sovereignty and land rights.